Useful abbreviations, plus links

[Little Nell]

For the novices, to help you understand what we are all talking about, here are some useful abbreviations:

GRO   General Register Office – order certificates online at http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificate/index.asp#0

GROS      General Register Office for Scotland –
                      search & view certificates, Scottish wills (to 1901), census and OPR baptism & marriage entries online at:  http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

NAS             National Archives of Scotland - home page: http://www.nas.gov.uk/ 
                             Online Public Access Catalogue     http://www.rootschat.com/links/0z7/   

LDS      (Church of Jesus Christ and) Latter Day Saints (Mormon church)

TNA      The National Archives (formerly  PRO) online at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

PRO      Public Record Office (old name for the National Archives)

PRONI      Public Record Office of Northern Ireland – web site http://www.proni.gov.uk/

CRO      County Record Office

LMA          London Metropolitan Archives
                           http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_heritage/libraries_archives_museums_galleries/lma/lma.htm

FFHS      Federation of Family History Societies – web site http://www.ffhs.org.uk

IGI   International Genealogical Index – available on microfiche at many record offices and libraries.  Also available online at http://www.familysearch.org

BVRI2   British Isles Vital Record Index 2nd edition – available on CD from LDS church. complements the IGI

NBI2   National Burial Index 2nd edition – available from the Federation of Family Histoy Societies


Other abbreviations which may need some explaining:

BMD   Births Marriages & Deaths
CMB       Christenings Marriages & Burials - used for the "all in one registers" found most often pre 1754
otp   of this parish
otsp   of the same parish
BTs   Bishops Transcripts
MI   Memorial Inscription (or Marriage Index)
Admon     Letters of Administration

MS     Male Servant
FS      Female Servant
J      in conjunction with an occupation tends to mean Journeyman

RD   Registration District
ED   Enumeration District (census)

PCC   Prerogative Court of Canterbury (probate of wills pre 1858)
PCY   Prerogative Court of York (probate of wills pre 1858)

[XPhile2868]

UD - Urban District (these would be in urban areas).

There is also rural districts, which i assume is RD.

[Guy Etchells]

There are many abbreviations at
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/%7Eframland/framland/abbr.htm
and counties at
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/%7Eframland/framland/coabbr.htm
cheers
Guy

[v i c k y]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

Yes, that's him. I'm not sure if he was living with his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren at the time of the 1881 census or if he was just visiting, along with his son, a fellow worker from the sugar refinery and also one of the men listed at http://www.mawer.clara.net/intro.html (James). I don't know if he was a British Subject or a Naturalised British Subject, though. Will follow the link and read more.

Thanks again,
Vicky

[suey]

These confused me when I first saw them in print, occasionally seen when someone gives a census reference

USD Urban Sanitary District

RSD Rural Sanitary District

[kelowna kid]

Im glad I found this page, I was going to put up a question but this page is so useful to goofs like me!  So much stuff to learn.  I wondered about BMD but heres the explanation! Thanks Nell.

[Berlin-Bob]

Hi Kelowna Kid,

You can find lots more abbreviations in the
RootsChat Reference Library => Lexicon ^{(click here)}

and if you can't find it there, then

put up a question

 
Bob

[molly90]

To little nell

Thank you for abbreviations.  Most usefull.

Molly

[steele4]

Thanks so much for posting the information! Will really be a big help.